With health-care reform stalling out and the recession in full swing, there are more reasons than ever for people to seek cheaper medical treatment overseas. According to a recent report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, although the U.S. economy has slowed down, the demand for cosmetic procedures is up. In 2007 an estimated 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for health care, and the number is supposed to reach 6 million this year, Deloitte reported. We take look at popular medical tourism spots.

See which countries people are traveling to for a quickie nip and tuck after the jump. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2010-02-18T09:30:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/16/51739/9609

With health-care reform stalling out and the recession in full swing, there are more reasons than ever for people to seek cheaper medical treatment overseas. According to a recent report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, although the U.S. economy has slowed down, the demand for cosmetic procedures is up. In 2007 an estimated 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for health care, and the number is supposed to reach 6 million this year, Deloitte reported. This week, we'll look at popular medical tourism spots.

South Korea is one place that's really pushing its medical tourism services. It has its own government-backed Council for Korea Medicine Overseas Promotion and will turn the island of Jeju into a resort-style medical tourism center dubbed "Healthcare Town" in 2011. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2010-02-16T10:35:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/1/133613/8613

You've heard about plastic surgery travel and medical tourism, and maybe even about how sex travel morphs into pregnancy travel, but are you ready for sperm tourism? That's what we're predicting for New York with the upcoming opening of California Cryobank's "Celebrity Look-a-Like" service on Park Avenue.

Of course this began in Los Angeles, and the idea is simple: sperm donors are categorized by what celebrity they most resemble. Women looking to patronize the sperm bank's Look-A-Like program simply pick out the celebrity they'd ideally like their artificially inseminated child to resemble, pay $350 to $500 for a vial and information like facial features details, and the transaction is done. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-09-02T08:59:44-05:00 40.8049943 -73.938888 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/17/103536/63

After watching Thailand, India and Argentina grab all the headlines--and big-spenders--South Korea is now courting medical tourists looking for everything from cheap joint replacements to low-cost breast implants. Government officials are encouraging the nascent industry, too, by relaxing immigration rules and working with foreign hospitals so potential patients will decide to have procedures done in Korea instead of elsewhere in Asia.

On Jeju Island south of the mainland, for example, the Wooridul Spine Hospital is adding apartments, a concert hall and an art museum to its existing amenities, which include a golf course, says The New York Times. A government official says:

We believe this is a major future industry for our island. The town will specialize in medical checkups, long-term convalescence and procedures Korean doctors do well and cheaply, such as plastic surgery and dentistry.

After reading a first-hand account of one of these swanky Asian destination hospitals, we're actually considering going to have a bit of dental work done ourselves. After all, if you're gonna suffer for your pearly whites, might as well get an international vacation starring UNESCO-recognized lava tubes thrown in for your trouble, right?

Related Stories:
· South Korea Joins Lucrative Practice of Inviting Medical Tourists [NYT]
· Wooridul Spine Hospital [Official Site]
· Jeju Island to Have Foreigners-Only Medical Centers [Korea.net]
· Plastic Surgery Travel: Thailand [Jaunted]

[Photo of Jeju Island: karendotcom127]]]> pbb 2008-11-17T11:30:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/22/10626/816

India's plans for outer space domination might be progressing only slowly, but when it comes to fertility tourism they're doing very well.

For those unlucky souls who have trouble producing children, India is welcoming them and offering fertility treatment such as IVF cycles for a fraction of the price in countries like the United States or Britain.

There are two bonuses here: One, the laws connected to fertility treatments are a lot more lax so you can get pretty much get anything you need; and two, you get an interesting Indian holiday thrown in with your baby-creating experience.

Related Stories:
· Indian Clinics Woo Fertility Tourists [news.com.au]
· Let's Hope the Mayor Isn't Hiding up There [Jaunted]
· Medical Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: flypig] amandak 2008-10-22T12:00:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/4/155644/5467

Geopolitics junkie and Knife Tricks blogger Paul Karl Lukacs had a bit of an oral revelation the other day, and since it's 2008, he blogged about it. Problem? Infected wisdom tooth. Solution? Surgery at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand.]]> pbb 2008-09-04T16:00:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/25/73224/2358

We know that medical tourism is a growing field: After all, we've contemplated a trip to Hungary to get our teeth fixed or a stay in the Netherlands to cure our nail-biting habit. But our next booking is taking us to Buenos Aires, and here's why.

We've just discovered that Argentina's capital is the "psychoanalysis capital of the world," and a two-hour therapy session will set you back only around $18. They've got more qualified psychologists than anywhere and if you head to the district of Palermo, you'll discover there's a good reason why it's nicknamed "Villa Freud."

Locals suggest that it's the country's long history of instability--war, dictatorship and economic collapse are just a few of the problems--that's made them a nation full of shrinks. We're just happy to have an exotic destination lined up for our next mental breakdown.

Related Stories:
· Get Your Head Tested in Buenos Aires [UK Times]
· Hungary For Some New Teeth [Jaunted]
· Cure Your Nail Biting Habit [Jaunted]

[Photo: Esparta]]]> amandak 2008-08-25T10:00:15-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/